


Long Time Coming

by tchele



Category: NCIS
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fix-It, Post Mona Lisa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2020-01-04 11:32:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18342827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tchele/pseuds/tchele
Summary: Picks up immediately following Ellie & Nick’s conversation at the end of Mona Lisa. Jack and Nick talk about what happened when he was drugged and Nick and Ellie discuss the past...and the future. #fix-it #IhatedsadNick





	Long Time Coming

Ellie Bishop sat at her desk going over the events of the last few days. She couldn’t get Nick’s face out of her mind. He looked so hurt and defeated when he headed up to meet with Jack. Ellie imagined that meeting with Jack was a requirement after everything Nick had been through and decided she was going to wait for her partner. She would make him talk to her, make him try and understand that she said what she did because it was her job. 

Meanwhile in Jack’s Office

“Tell me what you are thinking Nick.” Jack instructed.

“Are we still playing that game?” Nick asked.

“Ok start with this, what was going on with you and Ellie just now?” Jack replied with her own question.

“She didn’t trust me, didn’t believe that I couldn’t have done this, and when I called her on it she made a joke like it was nothing. I can’t believe she thought I could do this, that I could kill someone. I thought she was my friend and that she knew me better than that.” Nick said sadly.

“Think about it Nick. You know Ellie, yes she’s an agent and a very good one, but when things happen that she can’t comprehend she distances herself by analyzing the situation. She reduces everything down to facts, logic, and what she can see. It doesn’t mean deep down she doesn’t trust you or doesn’t know you, it means she’s scared.” Jack said carefully.

“Scared of me.” Nick muttered.

“She’s not scared of you Nick. Did you know she was the reason they found you so quickly?” Jack asked.

“They found me because I was late for work.” Nick retorted.

“She called you more than a dozen times and they pinged your phone because she brought it up. I think we all know you’ve blown off Gibbs and McGee before, but in all these months you and I have been meeting I know you haven’t blown Ellie off since you got suspended. I know how much it hurt you to realize the pain you caused her after you got arrested. When are you going to lay all your cards on the table and man up and talk to her?” Jack asked.

“What am I supposed to do? Show up on her doorstep and tell her how I feel? She’s happy, dating, living her life. How am I supposed to compete with that?” Nick spat.

“You start by putting yourself out there. How can you hold her responsible for making you feel this way, when you haven’t clued her in on what’s going on? On why you are so hurt?” Jack asked.

“I don’t know how.” Nick answered, his voice low. 

Before Jack could respond there was a knock on the door. She knew it had to be important as most of the staff was gone for the day and she also knew that Vance and Gibbs were in the middle on an op and would be seeking her out when they returned. She crossed her office and opened the door slightly. As expected Gibbs and Vance were on the other side. She exchanged words with Leon and promised to join him and Gibbs in his office momentarily, but Gibbs hung back. “Do you have any idea why Bishop is sitting at her desk staring off into space? I tried to send her home and she refused to leave.” Gibbs asked.

“I have an idea. I’ll handle it and join you and Leon in his office in a few minutes.” Jack answered as she placed a reassuring hand on his chest. A moment later Gibbs headed down the hall and Jack closed the door and returned to her chair across from the sofa.

“We are going to have to pick this up tomorrow. There’s a situation I need to attend to, but I am going to give you some homework.” Jack began.

“Why do I have a feeling I’m not going to like this?” Nick asked.

“Talk to Ellie. She’s still here, Gibbs told her to go home and she refused to leave. He was just here to get me for a meeting and asked me if I had any idea why Bishop was still here. I told him I had an idea and I would handle it, but really you need to be the one to handle it and unless you want me to suspend you BOTH, you will work this out with her.” Jack instructed. “Why don’t I have her come up here? You two can talk and it will be a more neutral setting.”

Nick sighed. “Ok.”

Jack went down the steps and sat down on the edge of Gibbs desk. 

“How’s Nick?” Ellie asked.

“He’s not ok.” Jack answered.

“He has to know this wasn’t his fault. They targeted him, they used people he trusted against him.” Ellie replied.

“He knows that, on some level at least he understands, but you two need to talk about what happened on this case and about what’s been going on the last few months between you. I have to go to a meeting so use my office, and Ellie? This isn’t a suggestion, work it out or I’m suspending you both. Don’t make me explain to Gibbs why I’m suspending half his team.” Jack instructed before she hopped off the desk and headed up to Vance’s office.

Ellie silently made her way to Jacks office and shut the door. Nick was standing by the window looking out it. His face an unreadable mask. Deciding that someone had to speak, Ellie broke the silence. “I waited for you. I wanted to apologize, I know you said you didn’t want an apology but I’m giving it to you anyway. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said what I did.” She began.

“Then why did you?” Nick interrupted.

“I thought I was doing my job. I thought I needed to treat you like I would anyone else we were investigating. Actually that’s a lie, I needed to separate myself from the investigation because I was already too close to it. I was protecting myself and I should have been looking out for you. I should have told Gibbs to take me off the case.” Ellie confessed.

“Why would you want Gibbs to take you off the case?” Nick asked.

“Because I was scared.” Ellie answered softly.

“Scared of what? I’m okay. I have some stuff to work through, but I’m ok.” Nick replied as he moved closer to Ellie.

“I kept thinking of the last time you went off the grid and ignored my calls. You were spiraling, I saw it coming, I didn’t do anything, and I should have. I thought that it was happening again and I missed the signs.” Ellie confessed. “I should have had him take me off the case. All I did was make things worse.”

“I understand why you did it, but I wish you’d talked to me instead. I’m no good at the touchy-feely thing but do you want to know why I wouldn’t have asked you the same questions if the roles were reversed?” Nick asked.

“Because you are a better friend than I am?” Ellie suggested.

“Well I am a better friend than you.” Nick teased. “But I know that you have a huge heart and you love with all of it, it’s why I felt safe enough to come to you that night.”

“I miss Reeves, he would have kept me from sticking my foot in my mouth.” Ellie confessed.

“I miss him too. He would have kept the whole thing from happening, we would have been at the gym together. He never missed our workouts.” Nick said.

“Maybe you need a new gym buddy.” Ellie suggested.

“You offering?” Nick asked with a grin on his face.

“Maybe, but you need a new trainer. Jordan? He doesn’t have your back.” Ellie answered. “Are we ok?”

“We’re getting there.” Nick replied.

“Wanna grab dinner with me?” Ellie asked.

Nick took a deep breath before he answered. “I do want dinner, but first there is something you need to know.” He began. “I want more than dinner.”

“What like dinner and a movie?” Ellie asked.

“Jack told me to man up and talk to you. So here goes. I have feelings for you, I have for months. I think a lot of our missteps lately have been because of that. I almost told you so many times, and I had worked up to it and I was going to tell you after you came back from Oklahoma...” Nick trailed off.

“And the first thing I told you was I had a date with Boyd.” Ellie finished. 

“Yeah, and I was being childish when I canceled your date and I tried to tell you how I felt that night when you asked me why I did it, but I chickened out. I told you ‘touchy-feely’ isn’t my thing. I wish I had, maybe today would have gone differently.” Nick said softly.

“I knew you were jealous. I tried to get you to tell me so many times, and maybe I should have been more honest too. I almost told you that night at Gibbs’ at Christmas.” Ellie replied.

“Told me what Ellie?” Nick asked, tilting her chin so that she was looking him in the eye.

“That I have feelings for you too, that I when you were dating Annie I was so jealous, and don’t get me started on Sloane’s friend, Isabel.” Ellie confessed.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Nick asked.

“I didn’t think you wanted a relationship. You’ve always been all about fun and freedom. I want to get married again, and I want a family. You have made it clear you don’t.” Ellie answered.

“What if I told you that maybe that isn’t true anymore. That lately I’ve been thinking about what it would be like to have a family?” Nick asked.

“I’d ask you when that happened cause you were pretty adamant there were no kids in your future just a few months ago.” Ellie answered.

“Cody happened. I know there’s a lot more to parenting than what we did and we were totally unprepared but I don’t know. Something changed for me because of him, and you.” Nick replied. “What do you say Ellie? Are we ok? We ready to take the next step and see where this is going?”

“We are definitely ok and how about we start with dinner and see where it goes?” Ellie asked.

“I like that idea. Let me text Jack so she knows we talked and doesn’t suspend us both. Then we can go grab dinner.” Nick answered.

Jack looked down at her phone and smiled. “I fixed your problem Cowboy. She’s leaving.” Jack said.

“With Nick?” Gibbs asked.

“You have a problem with that?” Jack replied, as she stared at him over her glasses.

“Not tonight.” Gibbs answered.

“Good. Cause we are going to need everyone working together on this case and those two need each other. Now who else can we bring in to work this case? I know Fornell isn’t an Agent anymore, but I could use another person I can trust.” Vance replied.

The End


End file.
